The outdoor sports and the people. It seems like the entire country is motivated by outdoor sports. I spend most of my off hours hiking and cycling. Christchurch strives to become the cycling destination of NZ. It’s clear by the effort being put forth in the infrastructure that they are well on their way to achieving this goal. It’s very common to see large numbers of people commuting via bicycle in the morning and evening here as well. There are plenty of hiking trails or tramping tracks as they are called here. It does remind me very much of my home state of California. With a cool Kiwi twist to things…

I find the Kiwis, and the expats who live here, to have a great sense of good will and creativity. It’s very common to go from one in depth conversation, with complete strangers, to another all day long. This is something I’ve only experienced in the smaller towns of North America. Kiwis are very well traveled. Travel is highly encouraged in their society so they are very knowledgeable and well versed about a wide variety of topics and cultures. Kiwis are also very creative. Being fairly isolated from other large commerce areas means that Kiwis often have to make do with what they have. This in turn gives them an incredible capability to think on the fly and make things work.

What do you miss most about your home country?

The food. A great cheese burger, barbeque, slice of pizza, or Mexican food. You can get all these here but it’s not quite the same. However, there is excellent food here. The lamb, pork, fish & chips, and the local vegetables are incredible.

What was your biggest challenge in relocating to New Zealand

The visa process is fairly extensive. However, Talent Hive and my company utilize a company that facilitates the process. They did a great job walking me through the process and getting my visa quickly. The distance to New Zealand is a challenge when flying down and when shipping your household goods. It just requires you to think hard about what you need to bring and when it needs to be here. Also, learning to drive on the left hand side of the road is a bit intimidating at first but you get very comfortable with it in about three weeks. Remember to always look both ways…twice!

What is the best experience you have had since arriving in New Zealand

Had amazing days’ whale watching in Kaikoura and hiking at Arthur’s Pass.

What advice would you give to others who may be contemplating moving to New Zealand

Give it a try. It may seem like a daunting move but it’s well worth it. It will change your life for the better.

What was your experience of working with The Talent Hive

The Talent Hive isn’t your normal recruiting agency. They really do their best to match an employee with an employer via a comfortable written and oral question and answer process. In order to help with your decision making process Talent Hive provides a large amount of information up front about living and working in New Zealand. Finally, Talent Hive provides regular feedback and updates as to how the process is going and what the prospective employer is thinking. You never feel as if you are left hanging with Talent Hive.